The Marauders Years
by annaquinnskywalker
Summary: Join the marauders in their sixth year and watch their story unfold. There'll be laughs, fights, tears, perhaps even love. My first story, unbeta'd. It's rated T for language, but I'm paranoid, so there's that.


**DISCLAIMER: Of course, I'm not JK Rowling. Also, equally as obvious, none of these characters are mine.**

**AN: Hey guys! This is my first story, (not yet beta'd) so don't be too terribly upset if things are a bit off. Let me know what you think, but please, no flames. Anyways, here's chapter one!**

Remus Lupin sat in compartment 37, eating a chocolate frog and reading the latest _Wizard's Weekly_ when he heard it:

"Remus! Remmy, where are you? Oi, you lot clear out! Coming through! Oh for fu-MOVE!" Suddenly, the door was wrenched open, and Remus looked up and sighed, closing his magazine.

"I was wondering when you'd get here. The train's leaving in what, five minutes?" Remus scolded, though his smirk betrayed him. "Where's Wormy?"

Sirius sighed, rolling his eyes. "I have no idea. Probably was distracted or something." James Potter stood behind him, blocking the walkway. He wore an annoyed expression on his face, and after a moment said, "Get inside, you big oaf. I'm blocking the hall." Sirius looked back, laughing.

"And whose fault is that, you fatty?" James lunged forward to tackle him, but instead tripped over a first year, and the two of them spilled into the compartment. "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING! Jesus Christ. First years, I'm I right?" The two black headed boys were still tangled on the floor when Remus got out of his seat and grabbed the boys trunks from the hallway and closed the door. He shook his head when he turned around to see the pair untangled, but now simply sprawled across the floor. Sirius was staring at him, eyebrows raised. "So, Moonpie, did you miss us?" He waggled his eyebrows and glanced at James, who was mimicking his laid back posture.

Remus rolled his eyes, saying, "Oh, tremendously. You know I can't function without the constant sounds of you lot yelling." He was stepping over the legs of his friends, trying to get back to his window seat, when the door was thrown open, and a very disheveled Peter darted in. He was panting, and his hair was sticking out in all directions. A bruise was beginning to blossom beneath his left eye, and his lip was split. His clothes weren't much better, with a tear on the knee of his pants and the collar of his shirt stretched to the point of ripping.

Immediately, the other three sprang from their seats and all started talking at once.

"Blimey, Peter, what happened?"

"Were you beat up or something-"

"No shit, of course he was beaten up. Honestly, Sirius, all that time as a dog must have-"

"Guys, shut it. Pete? What happened?" Remus led the disoriented Peter to one of the seats and lowered him onto it. As the boy caught his breath, the others stared as though the boy would pass out.

"I dunno. I got on the train and was looking for you guys, when all of a sudden I was yanked into a compartment and, well, I'm sure you guys see what happened." Peter looked down, tears of pain and shame threatening to fall._ Couldn't even defend myself against some stupid Slytherins._ He thought, ashamed.

"Who did this? Was it Snivellus? It was, wasn't it. That git. That slimy git! He's going to regret this." Sirius was getting worked up, and began to pace the small room, ranting mostly to himself. _"Why would he even do this? Like that git needs a reason, the slimeball..."_

Remus looked at his pacing friend and said, "I think you and I both know why he would target us. I believe the stunt last year really didn't help his already _sparkling_ opinion of us." Of course, he was talking about the unspeakable-prank-of-fifth-year. Sirius stopped pacing and looked sharply at Remus.

"You know I'm sorry, right? I never-bloody hell, I never thought the git would go through with it. And if the snake should be mad at anyone, it's me. Not _Peter_." He looked around at his friends, and all the guilt of the last year came back to the surface. Remus placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "I'm over it. We're all over it. If Severus can't look past it, then too bad. Now, Peter, you need some help?" He turned to Peter, wand in hand. Pointing it at the boy's face he said, "_Episkey._ There, better?" He stashed his wand and looked to his friend. The bruise was fading and his lip shrank back to a normal size.

"Yeah. Thanks, mate. Anyway, I just wanna forget it even happened." He looked down at his feet, and the other three looked at each other. Remus wore a look that said _don't you dare_, while Sirius and James wore identical smirks that read _not bloody likely_ loud and clear.

"So, how were your summers?" Peter asked after a moment of, at least in his opinion, awkward silence. The others immediately looked to him, and Remus shrugged.

"You know, same ol', same ol'." Remus looked out the window, trying to hide the look of pain that shadowed his features. He decided not to elaborate. The others didn't need to hear about how his father finally left his mother and him. Or how much more painful the moons were without them. They didn't need to know that.

James seemed to notice his discomfort, as he was always credited as the most observant of the four, and did what he did best: distracted the conversation to himself. "Well. _My_ summer was bloody boring. Day in and day out, Mum making pancakes, Dad reading the comics, very loudly, might I add, and me sleeping though the whole day. That is until this kid showed up at my door." He pointed his thumb at Sirius. "It was like a lost puppy ending up at your doorstep. Pathetic really."

"You asshat! I saved your summer." Sirius punched James in the arm, who then fell the the floor dramatically, groaning and flailing. Peter was beginning to snap out of the mood his beating had put him in, and began to laugh. Remus, however, was still staring out the window, lost to his thoughts.

"Oi, when's the moon, Rem?" James asked from the floor. Remus started, and looking to the group, sighed. "Another week." He ran a tired hand over his face. The fatigue was already beginning,_ right on time_, Remus thought, and in another day or so, the aches would inevitably begin. Sirius smiled. "Excellent. Boys, I was thinking."

"Oh Gods, no," James cut in.

"Shut your gob, Potter. As I was saying. I was thinking, why don't we have a bit more fun this go around, eh?" He waggled his eyebrows, _again, _and looked around at the group. The others looked confusedly back, waiting for an elaboration. "Oh, come on. Really? Fine. I'll go step by step. But just for you lot, because, you know, we _are _best friends and whatnot. That blasted wolf of yours, Remus, is getting _bored._ I know it, Peter knows it. Hell, even Potter knows it." He earned a smack in the arm for that one. "Sooo, why not give it a bit more room to roam?" Peter and James looked at each other, considering the idea, but Remus was already shaking his head. "No. Absolutely not. It wouldn't know where to begin, and it would run straight for Hogsmeade, and of course someone would be out walking their damn dog or strutting though the street like a madman, or-"

"Remus, Jesus. We won't go if it freaks you out so much." James said, though he looked to Sirius with a conspiring smile on his face.

"Good." Remus said with a sense of finality. "Now," His tone had made a one-eighty, and suddenly, he looked mischievous, "we need a prank to kick the year off right. I felt we were seriously- Don't you dare even think it, Sirius- lacking in our end of year stunt, so obviously, we need to catch up, shall we say." James and Sirius immediately started spouting off ideas, each one more ridiculous than the last. Remus looked to Peter, who smiled back with watery eyes. As the Hogwarts Express took another lazy turn one the tracks, the four planned out the year to come.

**AN: So? Like it? LOVE IT? ...hate it? Let me know! Review please! But be gentle. **


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